I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through
by CaptainBri-Mazing
Summary: What happened in those ten weeks? Prequel to "Forever United Here"


Just typing up a paper for school, minding my own business, when suddenly...

PLOT BUNNY!

Alright, so obviously, something happened between JJ and Reid in the ten weeks he spent crying on her shoulder, because, c'mon, feelings are bound to come to the surface and ten weeks is a long time to witness someone's vulnerability and not develop something for them. No, I fully believe that Reid and JJ reached some stage of relationship and haven't seen anything yet. Their fight in last week's episode being a clue, because IF they were JUST friends, JJ wouldn't have been on the verge of tears. Example-When Reid was a jerk to Emily, she didn't cry, because they were friends. JJ and Reid are more than friends. She was on the verge of tears the entire fight, because when your significant other took the time to take pot shots at you, you want to cry; when he's yelling at you about trusting you and you letting him down, you want to cry; when he tells you, it's too late, you want to cry. They're a couple, plain and simple.

Ok, so this could act as a prequel for my previous story, "Forever United Here". And now that I think about, I'm sensing another series. Huh, we'll see.

I don't own CM, sadly. If I did, "Proof" would've had a much different ending. Recommend listening: Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park. Please read and review :)

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><p>At the same time, on the same day, every week, Spencer Reid showed up at her house, tears in his eyes and his bottom lip trembling. And like she always did, she guided him into the house, sat him down on the couch, and held him as he sobbed and grieved the loss of Emily Prentiss, who wasn't really lost.<p>

She had been shocked the first night he showed up, entering the house before bursting into tears as he stood in the doorway. She threw herself at him, thinking he had been hurt, running her hands across his body, demanding to know where he was hurt. Her heart broke when Spencer looked up at her and guided her hand to his heart. "I hurt here." He mumbled through the tears. The last time JJ felt that kind of heartbreak, her sister had been found dead in her room, by her own doing. This time Spencer's pain was by _her_ doing. By JJ's doing.

And didn't that just eat her up inside.

Still, even if she couldn't tell him the truth, she could still hold him and comfort him. After that first initial night, he would come over and sit on the couch quietly, letting the tears build as JJ checked on her sleeping son. Then she would sit down next to Spencer, waiting for him to come to her. He always made the first move, which showed JJ just how vulnerable her best friend really was. At the same time, she felt…honored…that Spencer chose her to fall apart in front of, her company that gave him the sense of safety, that she wouldn't judgment him for his tears or see him as someone weak. She felt…special.

It was week five when it all changed.

This time, she felt different. This time, she felt the tears stinging the back of her eyes, her lower lip trembling against her will. Spencer sensed it was her turn to break down, sitting down and pulling her onto his lap, folding his long arms around her and letting her cry. She had never felt so safe. She didn't like crying in front of Will; he always got uncomfortable and definitely didn't know how to handle her crying. So she learned to bottle it up, only crying when he wasn't home…or when it was just her and Spencer.

Spencer held her tight against his chest, rocking her gently and softly whispering in her ear that it was okay, that things were going to be okay; that he was here and he wasn't going anywhere. It was that moment when she looked up at him, her eye lashes still wet, and saw something in his eyes she hadn't seen in Will's; understanding. Spencer understood how it felt to lose Emily; how it felt to bottle it all up; how they only cried when they were with each other.

Maybe that was why she did it. Why she leaned forward slightly and he echoed the movement, pressing his lips to hers. It wasn't anything special, at least not to anyone else. It was just their lips touching, but that kiss said more than either one of them would admit out loud. She had never shared a kiss like this with Will. Never soft and tender, it was rough and demanding. With Spencer, there was no pressure. This simple kiss between them was merely saying that he understood. That they were both sad and needed each other. It wasn't anything sexual, it was just comfort.

They broke apart when they heard Henry whimpering in his sleep. Spencer beat JJ to the little boy's room, crouching down beside Henry and talking to him softly, coaxing him back to sleep. JJ watched from the doorway, her thoughts going a million miles per hour, going back to the fact that she and Spencer had kissed. She hoped things wouldn't be awkward between them now.

After settling Henry down, JJ walked Spencer to his car, and hovered uncertainly beside the driver's side. Spencer cupped her cheek, smiling at her softly. "Thank you." She nodded, rising up on her toes to kiss him once more. Again, nothing sexual, just them.

It continued like that for the next four weeks; she held him as he continued to mourn Emily and every time she walked him to his car, they always shared a soft kiss. Nothing had changed between them; their work relationship remained the same; he spent time with Henry, trying to teach the little boy his numbers; their friendship was the same. Except…it wasn't.

While on the outside nothing had changed, on the side, JJ was having a hard time seeing Spencer as just her best friend, and not someone she wanted to wake up to every morning; someone she wanted to watch feed Henry and dress him so she could have the time to get ready for work; someone that picked up Henry from daycare when she couldn't; someone that Henry cried for whenever they left; someone she was in love with.

And there it was. She was in love with Spencer Reid. She probably always had been; just buried it so far down, she had forgotten. But now, things were different. Will hadn't said anything the first time Spencer dropped by, but then the second week, the third week, the fourth week, he had enough. He told her that he didn't want Spencer coming over anymore; that if he was this upset, he should see a professional and quit coming around; that he was taking up all of JJ's time. The last straw was his last accusation, one she would not forgive or forget- that Spencer was faking it, coming around because he wanted JJ for himself, and he was taking advantage of her and was waiting to make his move.

She had snapped and told the southern detective that Spencer wasn't like that. That making a move on her was the last thing on his mind. That he was grieving Emily because she was more than just a friend, she was a maternal figure, someone he knew wouldn't steer him wrong. He was hurting, and JJ wasn't about to turn him away when it was her that he sought comfort from. Will got quiet and asked if she was in love with Spencer. She didn't answer him. Her silence said it all.

He lelt the next day.

Week ten, it felt different. When she opened the door, Spencer looked calmed for once. He just watched her, silently, followed her into the house, silently and sat on the couch, silently. He didn't cry; he didn't do anything. She curled up on his lap, tucking her head into the crook of his neck, letting her tears fall silently. Spencer held her closer than before, and she relished in the feel of his arms around her, protecting her from the outside world. When JJ finally told him that it was over between her and Will, he said he was sorry. She replied that she wasn't. She shifted so that she was straddling him, and looked him in the eye. She never said it in words, but Spencer was always able to read her. He saw that she wasn't sorry that Will had left, but relieved. He saw that she had feelings for him, but didn't know how to tell him. She didn't want to immediately jump into a relationship with him, not after getting out of one. But she did want to be with him. He nodded and told her softly that they could go as slow as she wanted; no labels, just them.

Just Spencer and Jennifer.


End file.
